Back In The Saddle
by Taka Momos
Summary: After the death of his mother, Roxas leaves his city-boy life behind and moves South to a cattle ranch; to what family he has left. Trying just to survive a new culture, he struggles with his feelings over a certain ranch hand. AkuRoku x Soriku x Yaoi
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **_Well, this story has been a long time coming. I've always wanted to write something with a bit of a Southern kick to it, and, combined with some good country music, I finally got up the energy to write it!_

_I hope you guys enjoy as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'm really looking forward to continuing this, and reviews are the best way to get me to do that._

_Also, I've put my email address in my profile so you guys can nag me if I get lazy on updates. Seriously, emailing/IMing/reviewing (which goes directly to my email) are surefire ways to get me to update the stories. This one is also significantly longer than most of the things I write, I'm hoping to keep the trend going throughout the rest of the story. So... here ya go! On with the story!_

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"Hey, Cid, isn't your nephew coming out tomorrow?" Cid, who had been reading the paper with the news turned up as loud as possible, felt a slight surge of panic as realization dawned on him- he'd forgotten his own nephew's arrival.

"Hot damn, guess he is. Rocky, right?" Aerith gave a small sigh of frustration.

"Roxas. Honestly, how do you function as a human?"

"Coffee 'nd those shit-for-patties you keep callin' sausage." He made sure to give a firm pop to his newspaper as he went back to reading. Aerith, who had already known to prepare for the boy, only gave a sarcastic smirk before heading into the kitchen to make sure the pots were clean. She, unlike her boss, was excited about the new arrival. It would be a chance to help take care of a child who had seen nothing but hardship throughout his life. She had only the information sent in a letter from a social worker in New York City and what little Sora could offer to work with, but she was proud nonetheless of the good job she'd done preparing for him.

Meanwhile, on a train that had just left the station...

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**Back In The Saddle  
**by  
Taka Momos

Roxas stared blankly through the cold window his forehead was resting against as he let his mind wander from thought to thought. The only thing he had to break his thoughts, desperate attempts to escape the boredom of traveling, were the various "landmarks" that went soaring by.

_Here he was, being dumped._

Dead tree.

_He and his brother had grown up being thrown back and forth between his parents their entire lives, the nonsensical custody laws bouncing him from his uncaring father to his loving mother every month or two. At thirteen they'd been able to choose to live with their mother, effectively cutting their father out of their life._

Broken fence post.

_His brother loved the country, his mother having taken them both a few times during their childhood to the state she grew up in. Needless to say, Georgia wasn't anything like the New York he'd come to love. So while his twin spent most of his time to the ranch he was headed to, he stayed and bathed in the city life. And, until his mother's death, that was fine with him._

Cow.

Roxas gave a second, much more surprised, glance to the brown bovine that was falling fast into the horizon behind the train. No matter how hard he tried, the thought of being so far away from any form of the civilization he'd become rather fond of still made itself known.

After having slept hours on an airplane and in an airport, sleep was in short supply to help make the last leg of traveling bearable. He hit his head against the window, hoping he could at least knock himself unconscious.

All Roxas could do was give a frustrated sigh when it didn't work.

He reached down into his bag and grabbed his MP3 player, doing his best to take everything that was happening in stride. He hadn't been to the ranch since he was eight... ten years ago. He remembered nothing about farm life. But he could adapt... sure, maybe he'd _planned _on getting a job at his mother's company, giving him an easy ride through life. Maybe he'd _planned_ on having a nice penthouse to live in, letting staff take care of him. But his brother wanted him to try letting family take care of him, at least before he whittled away at his mother's bank account to try and get a firm foundation in life.

He never really had put any stock in family. But, as different as they may be, his mother had always loved them and trusted them, so maybe they really would help him. She'd always said that, if worse came to worse, they could always turn to her brother; they could always turn to family for help. Well, worse had come to worse, and he was turning to his uncle. Maybe it really would be alright. Maybe he could do it!

And then they passed a horse rolling on its back in the mud, legs flailing in the air...

He quickly flipped his music on, trying to recover from yet another culture shock.

* * *

Aerith stared up from the eggs she was cooking as the rooster crowed. She was usually the first one up on the entire ranch; it was her job to make sure all the hands were fed, to make sure Cid got his sausage (she made sure to burn them after his comment from the night before), to make sure, in general, that the house was ready to survive the day in, at the very least, close to the same condition it started out in. But today was special- Roxas would be arriving. Cid had refused to allow any hands to meet him at the station, he had instead asked his friend (who also happened to be the owner of the local bar) to pick him up so that the he and the hands could focus on preparing a particularly large shipment of cattle to be ready for transport. She remembered vividly how he put it-

"_Otis's gonna give the kid a ride, we gotta be haulin' ass all day to get that shipment ready for the road and on its way by 2:00. Can't afford to be a man down today, and Otis had somethin' t' bring me anyways."_

She had argued with him over the matter, being fully aware of the man's driving abilities. He, and he said it was pride, was the "All-Region Mud Racing Racer of the Year". Or, as she saw it, the man the police turned to when a high-speed chase hit a dirt road.

Aerith reached out the window and rang the bell, signaling for all the ranch hands to come for breakfast and be on their way to their duties. A roar erupted out of the barracks as they scrambled for the food she'd set out the large tables beneath the covered patio outside the kitchen. It wasn't long before a familiar, bright red headed mechanic was walking through the door.

"Aerith, Cid's whinin' about his sausages." She smirked evilly.

"Axel, tell Cid that if it's my _shit-for-patties_ that keep him going all day, he can just learn to eat them until he either appreciates my cooking or gives me more money so I can get real sausages to work with." Axel cocked an eyebrow, but chose not to get involved in the matter, turning and heading back out the door to pass on the message.

After the sun had shot itself high into the sky, Aerith settled into her usual routine. The storm had passed, and she had until dinner before the entire farm converged on her tables for food once again. Lunch was easy to prepare for, people tended to drift in and out depending on their schedules. She was more than happy to cook their varied requests, being happy that it wasn't like lunch or breakfast where massive amounts of food were needed at one time.

She was cleaning the tables from breakfast, stacking cleaned plates and gathering the silverware, when a cloud of dust rising at least thirty feet into the air became visible from the road leading to the ranch.

_Otis..._

Most people sped down the straight roads, given that the large tracts of land between each ranch, and even more so from the ranches to town, were uneventful and easy to maneuver. But only Otis ever exceeded 200 mph. In a broken down, 1978 Ford F100 he kept alive with duct tape, no less...

Setting one last plate onto the table's stack, she headed out to meet them in front of the house. Cid had already begun making his way over, leaving behind three hands to get the cows on the truck he'd been helping with. The run-hard brown truck pulled up to the house, screaming from every bolt and screw as it did so. Through the cloud of dust, Aerith could hear a door open and shut, and the heavily accented voice of Otis.

"Hot damn! Broke m' ol' record by ten seconds!" Cid gave a throaty laugh as he greeted his old friend. Behind the two, the passenger door creaked open as the dazed Roxas, clutching helplessly to his backpack, staggered out of the truck. Still shaking visibly from the truck ride, Aerith was quick to be at his side, helping him steady himself. Sora bolted out the front door of the main house, tackling his brother and giving him one of his crushing hugs. Roxas, too stunned to keep up with his energetic brother, settled for small grunts of recognition as he stood from the dusty ground.

"Welcome to the ranch, Roxas! My name's Aerith, and if there's anything I can get you, please let me know. We already have a room ready for you, right next to Sora's and down the hall from Cid. We'll get someone to carry in your things in a few minutes, is there anything I can get for you right now?" Roxas did his best to focus his vision and think of something, _anything_ that would help him.

"Water?", he begged weakly before choking on some of the dust still lingering in the air. Aerith gave a quick nod and rushed to get the water.

"So, how's the trip? Hope it wasn't too rough on ya!" Cid gave Roxas a firm slap on the back that all but knocked the boy down. Roxas gathered his strength to sturdy himself and answer.

"Uhh... not too bad. I guess the worst part was waiting in the airport. I slept on the plane, and the train ride wasn't too bad after a while, I guess..."

"Well, I'll have them get your stuff up to your room so you can sleep some of that travelin' off. You look like you got rode hard and hung up to dry!" Roxas nodded his thanks as he glanced with fear-filled eyes towards the large, bearded man in dirty overalls that had tried to kill him in his broken down truck. He had no clue how such a beat up heap of metal could possibly reach the speeds that it did. All he knew was that he had blacked out at _least_ two times during the ride. His rough, well-built uncle, looking good for a man of thirty-three, called over a blond and brunette.

"Roxas, you know your cousin, Cloud, 'nd that's Squall. They'll get your stuff 'nd show you to your room." The three exchanged greetings before the two, much stronger than the weak-limbed Roxas, easily heaved his luggage out of the trunk and headed in the house, Roxas close behind. He didn't know too much about them, he hadn't seen them since his last visit to the farm. He knew that Cloud was one of Cid's son from one of his marriages. He didn't even know how many times Cid had been married, but he knew that it was a running joke in the family to bet on how long after the wedding the divorce papers would be filed.

He followed the two up to his room... _his_ room... his _room_... it felt weird no matter how he said it. He had to admit though, the house was _nice_. Electric lamps designed to look like gas ones, almost the floors, walls, even ceilings were made of cut wood, the furniture, although with clearly worn fabric, was high-end oak, he was amazed at how well they'd pulled of the Western style. After countless left turns and two flights of stairs, the trio turned into what was obviously the hall to the master bedroom. The hallway, which ended with a large door he could only guess led into Cid's room, was lined with six doors, three on each side.

"Here's your room." They stopped at the first door on the right, setting his luggage down for him to unpack at his own pace. "Sora is in the room next to you, and the one across the room," Leon gave a slight nod backwards to the door behind him, "is a bathroom. Sora uses that one, me, Cloud, and Dad use the one at the end of the hall. Aerith usually takes care of all the laundry, just leave it near the so she can get it late-afternoon."

"Go ahead and get some sleep, we'll make sure someone comes to get ya before dinner." Roxas gave Cloud a nod of affirmation, and watched the two walk back down the stairs before turning to his luggage. He grabbed the suitcase with his clothes first, and opened his door to a pleasant surprise.

The room was decorated in the same Western style as the rest of the house, but it was the computer on the desk and the large TV and sound system that amazed him. A folded piece of paper laid on the keyboard, with a note written inside-

_Roxas,_

_Hope you like your new room! I had Riku order this since he knows more about this stuff than I do, and I know how much you love computers. And I know the TV's nice too, but don't lock yourself up here and rot, ok? We _WILL _have you riding a horse before the week is done!_

_Sora~_

Roxas had to smile at his brother's determination. Getting his brother's boyfriend to set up a kickass computer as bribery for riding a horse? He turned the TV on, and, unfamiliar with the channels, left it on some comedy show he'd never seen before dragging the rest of his luggage in. Not feeling like unpacking more than he had to, he threw some of his clothes into drawers and set his backpack by the computer, then passed out on his incredibly comfortable bed.

* * *

Axel made his way up the stairs to wake up the new kid he had barely been able to catch a glimpse of. He usually didn't judge people before he met them, but city people tended to rub him the wrong way. _Especially_ city people from New York City. He'd grown up there when he was young, and was quick to move as soon as he could live on his own to escape the hustle and bustle and overall rudeness that the concrete jungles contained. Giving a second thought to what Cloud had said, he counted two doors on his right and knocked. When no one answered, he knocked louder. After no answer, he cracked the door and called-

"Hey, kid, you there?" He took a step inside and noticed the boy curled up on his bed, snoring lightly. A warm feeling erupted from his stomach at the sight. He looked helpless, nothing like he'd pegged the kid to be. He looked... cute. Axel walked over and gently shook his shoulder. He shook harder when the boy mumbled, a sign of lucidity.

"Kid, c'mon, wake up. Dinner's ready." Roxas finally sat up a little, rubbing at the sleep in his eyes. "Huh?"

"Dinner's ready. They sent me to come get you." Roxas turned to thank the man, but stopped when he met the bright green eyes. Slowly, his vision focused enough to include the fiery red hair. As he became more and more conscious, he realized that he had been ogling the man who had just woken him. He turned away quickly as a blush spread across his face.

"T-thanks. Uhhh... do you mind showing me how get back down? I'm not really used to the house yet..." Axel found himself smirking at the stuttering blond. He certainly wasn't the rude city kid he'd expected. He barely even had confidence, yet alone the backbone to stand up to a stranger.

"Yeah, sure. C'mon, if we don't hurry the others are gonna have eaten it all." Roxas nodded dumbly as he followed the redheaded man, finding himself drunk on the rich accent. He knew he should have been embarrassed for his thoughts, which were quickly turning from lovesick to hot and steamy, but couldn't bring himself to kick the feelings that were fogging up his head. They reached the bottom of the stairs and began winding through the hallways when the man asked him a question.

"So, what's your name?" Roxas had to stop and think of the answer, hoping that the man would just dismiss it as him still being groggy from his nap. "Roxas, what's yours?"

"Axel. Just ask around for me if you ever need anything, I don't really have to do very much 'round here 'cept fix the equipment." Roxas gave a quick thanks as the reached the dining room, already filled with people eating.

"Cid and your brother sit over at the table by the fireplace, they saved you a seat. See ya 'round, Roxas." Axel gave him a nod before heading over to the table he usually sat at, still rolling the name around in his mouth. _Roxas..._

Roxas, on the other hand, was doing his best to make his way through the loudly talking and laughing ranch hands sitting at their tables towards his brother, who he could see was sitting with Riku. Sora and Riku had been "going out" since they had started High School. They only ever saw each other when Sora was on vacation, since Riku stayed on the ranch and worked for Cid, his uncle by marriage. Apparently Riku's father was the brother of one of Cid's wives... Roxas wasn't sure, it was nearly impossible to keep up with his uncle's many familial ties.

"Roxas!" Sora's voice could easily be heard over the crowd's roar. He made his way towards the spiking mop of hair, and took a seat between the woman, Aerith if he remembered right, and Sora.

"So Sleepyhead, like your room?" Roxas gave Sora a quick smile and relaxed, happy to be around familiar faces.

"Yeah, and thanks for the computer. But you will _not_ be getting me to ride a horse!" Sora laughed his warm, toothy laugh.

"Yeah, yeah, well see about that!"

The rest of the night was spent laughing at the dinner table, talking to his new "family". Cid decided that, since he was a "rail with legs 'nd toothpick arms", he wouldn't be of much use as a ranch hand. So it was worked out that, while he'd be given more than enough time to relax and get used to the place, he could help Aerith take care of the house. Not to "work", but at least enough to get him out of his room. He deemed Aerith as nice enough, Roxas figured he could like anyone who could deal with the antics of his uncle with such grace and tact.

After dinner, most of the hands cleared out for the barracks. A few, however, stayed inside to talk, both about business and casually, with Cid. Riku, being one of them, stayed down with Sora. Roxas, at Sora's prompting, stayed as well. After the business talks had ended and everyone was laughing, someone pulled out a guitar and began singing. Roxas enjoyed it, a few he even joined in on. It was a good time. And then he noticed the bright red hair.

The two made eye contact, but instead of looking away Roxas just smiled. And Axel smiled back.

The group talked and sang for about an hour before everyone wandered off to bed. Roxas, after unpacking, finally made it to bed around midnight. After having such a good time, Roxas had decided that maybe his new life wouldn't be as bad as he thought. Especially not after meeting Axel. He wasn't sure what it was that he was feeling, but he wouldn't mind getting to know more about him. He looked out his bedroom window before he fell asleep, soaking in the nighttime sky. It was a sky with thousands of stars more than the one he'd grown up under.

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**AN:** So? You like? I have a simple policy- you review, I'll update.

It doesn't matter if it's just "Hey, cool, I like your story!" or "update soon", reviews of any kind will make the stories go faster.

I could really get into this one. I've been on a country music kick lately, and I wanted to write an AkuRoku anyways, so... out popped this one.

Hope you guys like it, and please review lol


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: **_Yeah, yeah, yeah... sorry it took me so long to update, but I've been busy with hacking through another story and all that... hopefully this update will make up for my lack of effort, right?_

… _right?_

_Anyways, I've gotta admit that I'm impressed by the favorites and reviews. Of all my stories, this one has the highest favorite to view ratio. So..._

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Roxas leaned back into the hard chest behind him, lost in the arms wrapped around his body. The warmth of the breath from the face buried in his hair tingled his scalp, long spikes of red hanging down on either side – tickling his cheeks and bare shoulder, exposed through the neckline of the shirt far too big for him. They were staring at out at the fields, enjoying the stars splashed across the night sky – more stars than he'd ever seen in his life. A hand from one of the arms around his waist traced a trail up and down his arm, sending a shudder through his body._

"_Roxas..." A warm breath sent another shiver through his body as it blew across the shell of his ear. The soft lips nipped and tugged at his ear lobe, soft teeth scraping it gently. A tongue licked a path from his ear to his mouth, his gasps and pants were smothered when his mouth was claimed. The hand moved from his arm to his stomach, sending yet another wave of shudders as it trailed down, slowly – dipping into his navel, stopping to rub at the hem of his boxers, before... before..._

Roxas' eyes snapped open, his vision adjusting to the darkness of the room lit only by the moonlight – the liquid warmth around his groin sinking through the fog of sleep as his senses returned to him.

"Fff... FUCK!"

* * *

**Back In The Saddle  
**by  
Taka Momos

He woke that morning to the sounds of roosters crowing, a bell ringing, and men shouting. After his little "event" earlier that morning, Roxas was sleep deprived – exhausted. He rubbed at his aching eyes, rolling onto his side, away from the window, to try and get more sleep. After ten minutes, he threw the covers off in frustration and began collecting the still messy sheets. With the massive sheets obscuring his vision, he struggled to the door and, once in the hallway, felt himself knocked back against the wall by the person he'd run into. The heap of sheets fell to the floor unceremoniously, much like Roxas as he landed on his ass – hard.

Mumbling curses under his breath, he looked up to see an outstretched hand, still dazed by his lack of sleep and sudden change in position, he was slow to realize the arm and body connected to the hand – the wet, almost naked body of Axel, covered only by a towel his other arm was holding at his waist; dangerously low, low enough to know that he was, in fact, a natural redhead.

"Geez, Roxie. I know I'm attractive, but you don't have to tackle me just to get close!" He quickly snapped out of his daze and turned his head away, trying to hide the blush plastered across his cheeks. Axel was the one to break the moment of silence that slipped between them.

"So, from your yelling last night I take it you didn't sleep well?" Roxas shot his head up to meet Axel's cocky smirk, his blush deepening significantly. He had forgotten about his dream for the most part, but to be facing a wet, near-naked Axel who was covered in tiny drops of water sliding down his muscled chest, across rippling abs, down to...

"H-how do you know about last night?"

"I was sleeping in the room next to yours. I sleep in there when I'm doing inventory, that way I don't keep any of the other hands up but can still work as late as I need to so it can get done. And as I w as finishing up... I heard you yell. I thought about checking on you, but I figured it might be more 'intruding' than actual helping. So if you ever need me... ya know, I'm just in the room right next to you." Axel finished what had broken down into rambling to look at expectantly at Roxas, only to find the blond looking away.

"Th-thanks..."

An awkward silence finally set between the two. Axel kept hoping for a response, while Roxas shifted uncomfortably, images of the thin, yet well-built, naked Axel still lingering in his mind. Axel finally chuckled nervously and ended their conversation.

"Well, uhh... I guess I'll go throw some clothes on and get started for the day. You should get some more sleep, you look tired." '_Cute when tired'_ was what he'd wanted to say, but he couldn't bring himself to add that comment... yet. Axel could tell that Roxas was still adjusting to his new home – the change in atmosphere, all of the new people... he couldn't expect his advances to be taken well under the circumstances.

"Yeah, so... see ya 'round, Rox–"

"Axel... thanks." Axel stood frozen, his unspoken syllable still lingering on his lips. He looked to see the blond glance shyly at him, a small smile forced on his pressed-together lips, hiding a slight frown. He walked towards the door to his room, stopping to kneel down and wrap an arm around the blond, gently squeezing the shoulder his hand rest on. Roxas stiffened at first, but relaxed as the hand began to lightly massage the shoulder. Axel laid his head on the blond's shoulder and whispered gently in his ear –

"Anytime, Roxas. Whenever you need to talk... anytime." Axel released him and walked to his own room, closing the door behind him. Roxas stood stunned, paralyzed by the emotions swirling in his head. He staggered before racing back into his room, all but slamming the door behind him. He grabbed a heavy quilt draped over the couch by the door and ran to his bed, curling up in the quilt and burying his face into his pillow.

_Damn him! It was like he knew exactly which buttons to push to send him reeling into new emotions! In that single encounter he'd experienced embarrassment, attraction, annoyance, comfort, and... happiness! Enough happiness to make him want more... damn him!_

It wasn't long until his lack of sleep finally overtook him, his emotional turmoil washed away as his senses left him.

* * *

Roxas woke hours later, the midday sun shining through his window. He crawled out of bed and dug out clean clothes, settling for baggy pants and a shirt that hung loose on his shoulders. Not yet fully awake, Roxas slowly made his way down the stairs and towards what he guessed was the kitchen. Aerith was busy at the sink, humming to her self as she filled a pot with water.

He walked over to the table quietly and sat down. It was the sound of a chair being pulled back that finally alerted Aerith to Roxas' presence.

"Oh! You're awake! I didn't even hear you come in!" Roxas just nodded his head, mumbling about trying to not be noticed. "I would have woken you up earlier, but Axel mentioned something about you not sleeping well last night. Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, just had a bad dream I guess." _Bad is one thing to call it..._

"It's a good thing Axel mentioned it to me. It's hard to survive around here without a good night's sleep." She set a glass of milk in front of him, turning back around to begin preparing a sandwich. He sat quietly, staring at the glass in half-though, half-sleep. He didn't bother looking at the screen door that screamed as it opened. He _did_ look when he heard a familiar voice.

"Aerith, mind givin' me my lunch early? I gotta get that tractor runnin' before the others are finished. Might as well eat while I'm workin'." He turned his head just enough to catch a shirtless Axel walking into the kitchen, passing him quickly as he made his way to the counter beside Aerith.

"You'll do no such thing! If you're going to eat early, you'll sit and eat in here. And wash your hands!" Axel laughed, walking over to the sink as she prepared his sandwich.

"Not sure how much of this shit I can get actually get off, but I'll try." Roxas felt heat rush to his face as he stared at the redheads bare back, fascinated by the glistening sheen of sweat and black splotches of oil and dirt. He felt himself following a tiny droplet as it rolled down his muscles, tracing a line along his spine...

"Roxas?" He looked up to find Aerith staring at him worriedly, a sandwich on a plate being held in front of him. He blushed furiously, accepting the offered food. Axel grabbed a sandwich set on the counter before sitting down across the blond. Roxas tried to avoid eye contact, the blush still tinging his cheeks. He noticed a smirk on Axel's face when he took a sip of the milk.

"What?" asked Roxas, self-awareness slowly creeping in.

"You like your milk?" Roxas stared at the man before nodding, Axel's smirk spreading into an evil grin.

"It's fresh."

"Fresh? Like... as opposed to chunky?" Axel met the blond's gaze directly, amusement still on his face.

"Roxas, in case you haven't noticed – this is a cattle farm. Where do you think we get our milk?" His eyes widened as realization dawned on him, staring from the amused face to the glass of milk in disbelief. Aerith was quick to intervene, giving Axel a harsh smack on the back of the head.

"What is wrong with you!? Why would you scare him like that!? What kind of juvenile, immature logic would possibly possess you to pull a stunt like that!?" Axel held up his hands in innocence.

"Aww, come on, Aerith! I'm just messin' with him! No hard feelin's, Roxie. Here, I'll even let you watch while I work on the tractor!" Roxas was about to decline the, but was interrupted by Aerith's shove towards the door, claiming he needed "outdoor time". Axel followed him out the door, planting a hand on his shoulder and steering him towards a large, open-air structure covering various types of machinery and equipment. Almost to the structure after walking the dusty compound, the lunch bell rang and the entire ranch roared. Hands poured from all directions, descending on the small patio outside the kitchen.

Axel led Roxas to a large tractor, the hood removed and various parts strewn over the ground around it. With a foot firm on the tire, he pulled himself up to look down on the engine.

"Hand me that torque wrench there, will ya?" He pointed to a table of tools, many of which Roxas had seen before, none of which he could name. He furrowed his eyebrows, looking to Axel for help only to find him busy with something else, his arm reached down into the engine. He grabbed something that looked like the name, and handed it to Axel shyly.

When the redhead looked up, he broke out into laughter – almost falling off the engine as he gasped for air. Roxas flashed a glare.

"What!?"

"Those are fuckin' pliers! What am I supposed to do with those!?" His laughter resumed, Roxas blushing as he walked over to the table and grabbed something else, only to be stopped by a hand on his wrist. He let out a slight gasp, not having heard Axel approach him. His blush deepened as he followed the arm back up to Axel's peridot eyes. The redhead grabbed what looked like a long, metal stick with a round piece on the end. He waved it in the blond's face.

"Torque wrench." He turned and climbed back up onto the engine. "You didn't do much stuff like this up North, did you?" Roxas looked up at him, only to find that he was concentrating on his work.

"There's a lot of things around here that I didn't do up there..." he said, a slight pain to his voice. He picked up something similar to what Axel had shown him. "Torque wrench?" Axel looked up, smiling lightly.

"Socket wrench. But don't worry, they look a lot alike. They do almost the exact same thing, too. It's hard to tell the difference." Roxas began spinning it around by the round piece, interested in the clicking sound it made as he did so. He watched Axel out of the corner of his eye, enjoying the sight of the redhead chewing on his lip as he worked – shirtless.

"So have you thought about anything you'd like to do this week? I heard Sora talking to Riku about getting you on a horse. Or if you want, I'm sure I could find us a four-wheeler to take out on the trails some time." Roxas stared at him, meeting his gaze solidly for the first time the entire day.

"Yeah... I'd like that." The two shared a smile before Axel turned back to his work. Soon after, he jumped down from on top of the engine and climbed into the seat. Roxas jumped as the machine roared to life, not expecting a noise so loud. Axel turned the engine off and climbed down, staring at his work with a wide grin.

"Didn't expect to be done for another half hour. So, still up for a ride?" Images flashed in his mind of the suggestion's implications, his face turning a deep shade of red as he realized what Axel meant. Hiding his blush as best he could, he nodded furiously.

Axel glashed a toothy grin before walking towards another large building, leaving Roxas alone to his thoughts. While the redhead was gone, Roxas began to notice how humid the air was. Sweat began to form at his forehead, the heat creeping beneath his clothes and swelling. He quickly came to regret wearing such heavy clothes. He heard a loud, throaty roar to find Axel heading his way – toothy grin even wider than before. He stopped in front of the blond, the dust cloud surrounding them.

"Here, put this on and get on behind me." He handed Roxas a helmet, watching him struggle with it as he clambered onto the seat. Axel reached behind and pulled the other's arms around his waist, not able to hear the blond's squeak above the roaring engine.

"Now, hold on tight!" He gunned the engine, sending them flying forward towards the woods behind the house.

* * *

It was late afternoon by the time the two returned. A sweaty, panting Roxas climbed off the back of the ATV, throat raw from hours of screaming. Every muscle ached, partly from hanging on to Axel so hard and partly from the ride he'd been taken on – over hills, through streams, at one point he'd taken them over a fallen tree.

He staggered back slightly, still not used to stable ground, straight into the hard chest of Axel. Firm hands held onto his shoulders, trying to steady him.

"Was it that good?" Roxas turned with wide eyes to meet Axel's grin. He himself had to laugh at the comment. "Come on, go get cleaned up before dinner."

Roxas shakily walked back up to his room, laying out clothes to change into before taking a hot shower, hoping to relax some of his sore muscles. As he was heading back to his room, he caught Riku and Sora in the hall.

"I'll be right in." Sora said to a flushed Riku, turning to his brother with a knowing smile on his face. "I heard you got taken on the ride of your life by a certain redhead." Roxas sent the brunette a weak glare.

"Yeah... something like that."

"Well, I've kind of got my own things I need to do, so we'll talk about it over dinner, alright?" Sora asked, already backing his way into his room. Roxas let an evil smirk slip across his face.

"Got your own ride to go on, huh?" All Sora gave was his own cheeky grin as he slammed the door behind him. Roxas walked into his room, sitting on the bed by his clothes as he finished drying off. Not much had changed for his brother – or for himself, for that matter. It gave him a comfortable feeling to know that despite all of the changes he was enduring, very little was "new". There actually were very few "new" things in his life – not having a home to return to in New York, being a little older, and...

Axel.

Roxas found himself realizing just how emotionally confused he was about the redhead. He wasn't sure he was ready to get into a relationship just yet, still recovering from his last attempt. But still... there was no one who had been so nice to him in a long time. And while Axel had potential to be the best friend he'd ever had, he felt himself feeling something more. Something he'd never gotten out of friends, or anyone else, for a long time –

comfort.

Roxas threw on his clothes as the dinner bell rang, pushing the lingering thoughts to the back of his mind. He needed to concentrate on getting comfortable, and maybe on his new friendship. Relationships couldn't come before that. He may not have known what having a stable life was like, but maybe this was his chance.

He waited a few minutes for Sora before heading down the stairs, deciding that the brunette would be late to dinner. Turning towards the last set of steps, Roxas caught sight of a familiar blaze of red sitting on the last step. Axel turned, a gentle smile on his lips, when he heard the blond's steps.

"What are you doing?" Axel only shrugged.

"Figured I'd wait on you here. I thought I'd talk to Cid about some stuff over dinner, and since that'd mean we were at the same table and all – here I am." Roxas wasn't entirely sure whether to glare at him or smile like an idiot. He settled for a blank expression as he followed the other to dinner.

Most of the dinner was spent listening to Axel's report to Cid about the state of the equipment. Sora and Riku arrived noticeably late, both wet from quick showers and other... activities.

"Did we miss much?" Roxas grinned and leaned over to whisper in his brother's ear, "Nothing more entertaining than what you were doing." The two brothers laughed, earning curious stares from the rest of the table. Sora asked about the ride Roxas had been taken on, but the blond was interrupted as Axel launched into a vivid description, including exaggerated hand gestures and sound effects. By the time dinner was over, Roxas found his entire week planned out for him. Horse riding, cow herding, and even a swim in a nearby pond. Had Axel not been involved in the planning, Roxas wasn't sure he'd have agreed to much of it. But the thought of having someone next to him made it much easier. Usually he was the only one involved, while Sora and the others stood by telling him what to do, or worse – trying to include him even when they could enjoy it more with each other.

But Axel's smile and corny, suggestive comments could somehow get to him and make him relax a little. Relax enough to _want_ to stay up until midnight laughing over peach cobbler as Cid told funny stories of his marital adventures.

* * *

_Roxas gripped at the wall as heavy pants escaped his lips, blond locks matted to his sweaty forehead. He clinched his fingers, clawing at the wall behind him, as teeth nipped and lips sucked at his bruised neck. The hot mouth moved from his neck to his lips, a tongue swiping between them, begging for entrance. His wrists were grabbed and held above his head, the tongue slipping inside as his mouth was opened in a gasp. Heat clouded his mind as everything he knew left him. A knee slipped between his legs and ground into his groin. The mouth above his own finally left as they both panted for air, knee still grinding as he slipped in breaths of air between moans and grunts._

"_Roxas..." A hand slipped beneath his shirt and pinched at his nipple, rolling the nub around as it hardened. The wet warmth of a tongue sliding across his neck made him forget about the hand trailing down his stomach, leaving to work on unbuckling his belt and unbuttoning his pants._

"_N-no... please, stop." Teeth nipped at his lower lip, sucking gently as a hand slip down inside his boxers. Shivers ran through his muscles as nimble fingers gripped him, pumping slowly. The mouth left to work at a spot on his neck, causing him to moan._

"_S-s-stop, please!" The pumping became faster as the knee ground into his groin harder. He felt something stabbing into his thigh, grinding itself against him. The fingers left him just as he felt himself about to lose control, moving lower to his entrance – a finger began teasing a tight whole, preparing to push into him –_

"_Hayner, no!"_

_Everything stopped at once. One hand removed itself from his pants while the other let his arms drop to his sides. He felt the mouth leave his neck as he kept his eyes clenched tight. A jolt of pain ran through his jaw as knuckles connected against the side of his face, a metallic taste filled his mouth. He slumped a little, his knees bending as he felt himself giving in to his own weight._

"_Fuckin' bitch!" Punch after punch rained down on his face as he tried to keep himself upright. Finally, a punch landed squarely against his cheek that sent him reeling to the side, landing hard on the ground. A swift kick landed on his stomach, the last of the hits as he heard footsteps leading away from him. He drifted out of consciousness soon after._

_

* * *

  
_

Roxas woke with a scream, a cold sweat covering his body, soaking his shirt and boxers as he gripped onto the pillow beside him. Very little thought went through his mind as he began gathering his thick quilt and pillow, the visions still fresh in his memory. Gasping for air, he left the room quickly before knocking on the door next to his. He was still out of breath when the familiar flash of red, now blurred by the tears stinging his eyes, came into view as the door opened.

"Roxas? You OK?" Axel asked, worried about the pale, clammy look on the blond's face.

"Can I sleep in here tonight?" Strong arms wrapped around him as Roxas finally broke down, bawling into the shirtless Axel's neck as he held him.

"Shhh, it's alright now." Axel picked Roxas up and closed the door, carrying him over to his bed. He slipped Roxas underneath the covers and tucked the pillow beneath his head. He walked over and turned off the light, climbing into bed and holding the still-crying Roxas against him.

They stayed like that for the hour it took Roxas to stop crying. He slipped into an uneasy sleep as Axel held him tightly against his chest, idly rubbing his back.

"Fuck..."

* * *

**AN:**_ I know this update took a while, but it's finally finished. And I'm guessing this chapter made up for it, right? It took me a while, but I finally got a little direction. I wasn't even planning on taking the story the way it's going, but I'm not complaining. Reviews and favorites really get me moving on updates._

_Oh, and for the record – it was an email I got from a reader that actually got me to finish working on this chapter, and my email's on my page. So if I'm being a lazy ass and not working, just email me._

_Just be sure you clearly label the purpose of the email; I tend to delete emails if I don't know who they're from or what they're about._


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